146:, with Thomas playing the piano. Mrs. Reed had been a popular performer of operetta, Shakespeare and other theatre pieces since the 1830s. The Reeds' entertainments consisted, at first, of character sketches and songs by the Reeds. In 1856, the entertainments moved to the more intimate Gallery of Illustration. These eventually became "Mr. and Mrs. German Reeds Entertainments". They called the establishment, euphemistically, the "Gallery of Illustration," rather than a theatre, the actors were "entertainers", and the pieces were called "entertainments" or "illustrations", eschewing the words "play", "extravaganza", "
22:
388:
105:
The stage was at a low ebb, Elizabethan glories and
Georgian artificialities had alike faded into the past, stilted tragedy and vulgar farce were all the would-be playgoer had to choose from, and the theatre had become a place of evil repute to the righteous British householder.... A first effort to
110:
The German Reed
Entertainments became the first respectable venue for dramatic amusement to which the public could safely bring their children, presenting gentle, intelligent, comic musical entertainment. Their example showed that respectable theatre could be popular and encouraged successors such
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and sometimes a harp. At first, the entertainments utilized a cast of three; but by the mid-1860s, they had expanded to pieces with a cast of four. Often the pieces' plots involved mistaken identities and disguises. From 1860 to 1868, the German Reeds were assisted by
780:
Souvenir programme for Mr. and Mrs. German Reed's
Entertainments, summer and autumn tour, 1900, Joseph Williams, proprietor, under the direction of Avalon Collard. Joseph Williams, Jr. (1847–1923) had composed music for some German Reed pieces under the name
269:
154:". Reed himself composed the music for many of these pieces and often appeared in them, along with Mrs. German Reed. There was nothing else like this establishment in London, and the Gallery rapidly achieved popularity.
46:(1818–1895). At a time when the theatre in London was seen as a disreputable place, the German Reed family provided family-friendly entertainments for forty years, showing that respectable theatre could be popular.
480:
After the retirement of Thomas, in 1871 his son Alfred German Reed (1846-1895), also an actor, carried on the business in partnership with his mother and then with Grain. In 1874 they moved the entertainments to the
544:
Mrs. German Reed retired in 1879. The deaths of Alfred German Reed and Grain, both in 1895, effectively ended the entertainments, although the name continued to be used by others for some years thereafter.
57:, Langham Place, in London. Thomas and Priscilla German Reed usually appeared in them, together with a small group of players. They engaged talented newcomers, such as
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729:
891:
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380:, a clever, refined, and humorous society entertainer (a great friend and rival of Grossmith's), appeared in his first Gallery entertainment,
334:'s performances inspired Gilbert to create some of his famous contralto roles. German Reed also mounted the first professional production of
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861:
170:'s inspirations). He created a new type of musical and dramatic monologue that became popular. The earliest entertainments included
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also joined the company and wrote, as well as acted in, many of the entertainments. Some of Law's pieces for the
Gallery included
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21:
384:, soon performing his own sketches, taking over where Parry had left off. He also remained with the German Reeds until 1895
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for six entertainments presented by the German Reeds from 1869 to 1875, some of them with music by Reed himself, including
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50:
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and appeared in scores of the entertainments continuously until 1895, except for two years at other theatres. In 1870,
232:- small chamber operas by young composers. The German Reeds were able to attract fine young composers such as Molloy,
73:, to create many of the entertainments. Thomas German Reed composed the music for many of the entertainments himself.
354:. Given the German Reeds' role in both Gilbert's and Sullivan's first operatic successes, one wag commented that the
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The
Gallery was an intimate 500-seat theatre. The accompaniment consisted of piano at first, and later also a
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320:. Several of these pieces had ideas in embryonic form that would later re-appear in the Savoy Operas.
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Information about St. George's Hall, including reviews of the entertainments and Corney Grain's pieces
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and classic
British plays were presented, but the London stage became dominated by risque farces,
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This form of entertainment consisted of musical plays "of a refined nature". During the early
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In 1855, the first performance of "Miss P. Horton's
Illustrative Gatherings," took place at
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702:, Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, 25 October 2002, accessed 7 February 2017
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designed for a small number of characters. Reed experimented with what he called
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Charles King Hall was a
British composer and organist who supplied the music for
324:, for instance, had a gallery of portraits that come to life, an idea re-used in
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225:
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86:
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85:, visiting the theatre was considered distasteful to the respectable public.
689:, Gilbert and Sullivan Discography, 7 November 2001, accessed 7 February 2017
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615:, Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, accessed 31 January 2013
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767:, 4 March 1882, p. 13; and "Mr and Mrs German Reed's Entertainment",
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267:
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20:
571:, John Lane (1930). Reprinted at The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive
449:, with music by Alfred Cellier and words by Arthur Cecil (1873);
763:, 2 March 1882, p. 3; "Mr and Mrs German Reed's Entertainment",
501:
in the 1880s) joined the German Reeds. Fanny
Holland's husband
419:(1871, the first appearance by the German Reeds' son, Alfred);
224:
As time went on, the Reeds added a dramatic pieces and brief
658:. Vol. 47. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 395.
106:
166:, a pianist, mimic, parodist and humorous singer (one of
748:
St George's Hall, Langham Place, Regent Street, London"
815:
W. S. Gilbert, A Classic Victorian & His Theatre
399:(1868) by Reece with music by Virginia Gabriel;
348:and commissioned a second opera from the pair,
103:
391:Corney Grain and Alfred Reed both died in 1895
272:Gilbert's last German Reed Entertainment, 1875
867:Information about the Gallery of Illustration
687:"W. S. Gilbert's Operas for the German Reeds"
49:The entertainments were held at the intimate
8:
848:An 1882 review of one of the entertainments
853:Description of an "Illustrative Gathering"
630:obituary of George Grossmith, 2 March 1912
395:Other German Reed entertainments included
372:first performed at the Gallery in 1869 in
42:(1817–1888) together with his wife,
569:The Life and Reminiscences of Jessie Bond
69:, as well as established writers such as
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836:. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
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358:operas were "cradled among the Reeds."
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750:, at the ArthurLloyd theatres website
77:The German Reed theatrical revolution
38:were founded in 1855 and operated by
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862:Description of Horton and John Parry
403:(1868, Parry's last entertainment);
368:in 1869, remaining for five years.
53:, Lower Regent Street, and later at
563:Bond, Jessie and Ethel Macgeorge.
44:Priscilla German Reed (née Horton)
14:
759:"The German Reed Entertainment",
655:Dictionary of National Biography
598:"Obituary: Thomas German Reed",
541:, which received good reviews.
93:and bad adaptations of French
1:
892:Theatre of the United Kingdom
611:Woodbridge Wilson, Frederic.
119:Forty years of entertainments
51:Royal Gallery of Illustration
897:Theatre companies in England
493:(who created several of the
415:(1871) by Arthur Sketchley;
832:Stedman, Jane, ed. (1967).
817:. Oxford University Press.
809:, Chatto & Windus, 1904
649:"Reed, Thomas German"
525:(1882), both with music by
364:joined the German Reeds in
913:
803:Adams, William Davenport.
36:German Reed Entertainments
813:Stedman, Jane W. (1996).
806:A Dictionary of the Drama
700:"Fanny Holland (1879–80)"
471:Henry Pottinger Stephens
834:Gilbert Before Sullivan
788:14 October 2015 at the
617:(subscription required)
16:English theatre company
676:in 1894, among others.
423:(1872), with music by
421:Charity Begins at Home
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613:"Reed, Thomas German"
602:, 26 March 1888, p. 9
497:heroine roles in the
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176:The Enraged Musicians
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887:Gilbert and Sullivan
771:, 6 March 1882, p. 2
537:(1882), composed by
535:The Head of the Poll
475:Our New Doll’s House
378:Richard Corney Grain
356:Gilbert and Sullivan
113:Gilbert and Sullivan
714:, 2 June 1881, p. 8
405:Beggar My Neighbour
221:by Burnand (1868).
203:The Yachting Cruise
199:The Peculiar Family
187:My Unfinished Opera
732:2007-03-10 at the
685:Smith, J. Donald.
670:The Happy Bungalow
463:Babel and Bijouand
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351:The Contrabandista
274:
201:by Brough (1865);
164:John Orlando Parry
140:
137:Thomas German Reed
40:Thomas German Reed
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483:St. George's Hall
455:Gilbert à Beckett
451:Once in a Century
397:Our Quiet Chateau
305:A Sensation Novel
242:Charles King Hall
211:Our Quiet Chateau
183:A Month from Home
144:St. Martin's Hall
55:St. George's Hall
27:A Sensation Novel
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515:A Happy Bungalow
511:A Night Surprise
433:My Aunt's Secret
429:B. C. Stephenson
332:Mrs. German Reed
317:Eyes and No Eyes
180:William Brough's
168:George Grossmith
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299:Our Island Home
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230:opera di camera
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425:Alfred Cellier
417:King Christmas
413:Near Relations
411:, by Burnand;
401:Inquire Within
276:The dramatist
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219:Inquire Within
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441:Milord's Well
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437:Very Catching
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427:and words by
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311:Happy Arcadia
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278:W. S. Gilbert
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565:Introduction
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539:Eaton Faning
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499:Savoy Operas
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446:Dora's Dream
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226:comic operas
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217:(1867); and
215:Robert Reece
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644:Lee, Sidney
533:(1881) and
521:(1881) and
507:Enchantment
477:by W. Wye.
407:(1870) and
345:Cox and Box
264:Later years
260:magazines.
191:The Pyramid
172:Holly Lodge
124:Early years
99:Jessie Bond
87:Shakespeare
881:Categories
798:References
724:Review of
531:All at Sea
503:Arthur Law
409:Number 204
280:wrote the
91:burlesques
67:Arthur Law
712:The Times
628:The Times
600:The Times
327:Ruddigore
282:librettos
159:harmonium
152:burlesque
148:melodrama
133:Priscilla
95:operettas
786:Archived
730:Archived
517:(1877),
443:(1873);
439:(1872);
435:(1872);
374:Ages Ago
366:No Cards
322:Ages Ago
293:Ages Ago
287:No Cards
209:(1866);
197:(1864);
189:(1857);
178:(1855);
101:wrote,
765:The Era
674:Missing
495:soprano
821:
314:, and
244:. and
150:" or "
30:, 1871
549:Notes
251:Punch
819:ISBN
338:and
254:and
185:and
174:and
135:and
65:and
34:The
855:by
567:to
469:by
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453:by
342:'s
330:.
257:Fun
213:by
205:by
193:by
111:as
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